...on life, music, sports, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

Music

April 13, 2010

I freely admit that I suck at deciphering deep meanings in song lyrics. There, it's out there. (Although, in my defense, I did realize that "Every Breath You Take" was a stalker song and not a love song) Anyway, I was one of the 99% of the population that believed that Timbuk 3's "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" was a happy, optimistic song about future success. When I heard that it was about a grim future due to an impending holocaust, I was stunned.

I've got a job waiting for my graduationFifty thou a year -- buys a lot of beerThings are going great, and they're only getting betterI'm doing all right, getting good gradesThe future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

Well I'm heavenly blessed and worldly wiseI'm a peeping-tom techie with x-ray eyesThings are going great, and they're only getting betterI'm doing all right, getting good gradesThe future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

If this is supposed to be about nuclear annihilation the songwriter hid it well. Apparently the "job waiting" after graduation signified the demand for nuclear scientists to facilitate such destruction. I suppose that if you were working on the weapons of Earth's demise you would want to drink a lot of beer. In my opinion the only line in the song that truly hints at something bad is "I'm a peeping-tom techie with x-ray eyes".

With that, I say the songwriter failed in scaring the world into his grim outlook of the future. It's a fun, quirky song, and I shall continue to believe in the original, positive meaning of the song, based on the songwriter's wife statement, "The future is looking so bright, we'll have to wear sunglasses!". Unless you live in Seattle.

December 18, 2009

Apparently if you ask people what their favorite Christmas carol is the most likely response you'll get is "O Holy Night." While I like this song, I wouldn't say that it's my favorite. In fact, I like so many Christmas songs that there's no way I could identify a favorite, so I've come up with several categories so I can get them all in. Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs in many categories:

Traditional: Silent Night

Modern: Love Has Come (Amy Grant)

Novelty: Santa's Got A Semi (Keith Harling)

Religious: Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) (Amy Grant)

Country: Blame It On The Mistletoe (Toby Keith)

Sexy: Let's Be Naughty (And Save Santa The Trip) (Gary Allan)

Local: Christmas In The Northwest (Brenda White)

Jazz/Swing: It Must Have Been Old Santa Claus (Harry Connick, Jr.)

Instrumental: Sleigh Ride

Kids: Up on the Housetop

Best chorus: The Night Before Christmas (Amy Grant)

"But you don't have to be an angel to sing harmony. You don't have to be a child to love the mystery. And you don't have to be a wise man on bended knee. The heart of this christmas is in you and me."

September 17, 2009

Yeah! My favorite Nashville Star winner has finally released his sophomore CD. Here's to hoping that it makes more of a splash than his first CD, although his debut single "Drinkin' Me Lonely" made a small splash. Here's my review of his latest offering.

1. That Makes MeA rockin' leadoff for the CD, this is my favorite song on the CD. It's another of those "this what I am, take me or leave me" type of songs, but it works well for him. Some nice visuals in the lyrics, like a 60s truck that requires some serious force to turn the steering wheel.

2. VoicesThe first single from the CD, although it only got moderate airplay and no video was made. When you stop and think about all of the voices in your head, you realize that many of the words can be traced directly to important people in your life.

3. The DashboardWhen Jim and I went to see Chris in concert earlier this year this song got the biggest response. A big brother is heading off to war, and has told his younger brother that if he doesn't make it back, the truck is his. All he asks is that he tape a picture of his big brother to the dashboard as a memorial.

4. Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress song)The current single from the CD that is getting a LOT of attention. A sexy song about a couple going out for a fancy dinner when they both realize that they'd rather be back at home. This is one of the songs that Chris co-wrote, and I'm always happy when a singer is involved in writing a song that does well on the charts.

5. It Takes A ManIt must be terrifying for a young girl to admit to her boyfriend that she's pregnant, not knowing exactly what his response will be. Fortunately the young man realizes that any fool can make a baby, but it takes a man to raise a child, which tells us that he's ready to be that man.

6. The ShoeboxSome good advice from mom - keep small memories in a shoebox so that you can look back through them whenever you're feeling far from home.

7. Rose In ParadiseA duet with Willie Nelson, and if you've read my CD reviews you know that I'm not a big fan of duets. I'm also not a huge fan of Willie Nelson, although this song works well for the two of them. It's a remake of a Waylon Jennings song about a beautiful woman and a jealous man, and what can happen if you hold on too tightly.

8. Twenty-One CandlesA fun, very fast-paced song about a girl becoming a woman. She's ready to take on life even before her 21st birthday, so you better watch out.

9. The Man I Want To BeI think it's safe to say that this is my second favorite song on the CD, although it is very different than "That Makes Me." He's asking God to help him become a better man for the sake of his life and the woman he loves.

10. Rainy Night In GeorgiaWhen I heard that Chris was going to do a cover of this classic I was very excited for two reasons. One, I love the sing and Ray Charles' version and two, I love Chris' voice so I thought it would be a perfect fit. Unfortunately it sounds like Chris tried too hard to make this version his own so he ends up trading some of the fullness of his voice for a sensitive rendition, so it comes off a little weak. It is growing on me with subsequent plays, although I doubt it will ever top Ray.

Wait, 10 songs? Is that it? I know that there is a complicated formula that determines how many songs can be on a CD, but most have 11 songs, not 10. It would have been nice to have one more song, but maybe this is just the number of songs he and producer James Stroud felt worked best. I guess time will tell.

July 17, 2009

I'm sitting here watching VH1's list of the top 100 One-Hit Wonders of the 80s for the I-don't-know-how-many-th time, and I'm always annoyed at the artists that they include. I really want to know what criteria they use to determine who is a one-hit wonder. As an example, here are some artists that are on the list:

Midnight OilMadnessTwisted SisterThomas Dolby

I can name at least two sings from each of these artists, sometimes more. What's the cutoff for being considered a "hit"?

In my opinion, though, the biggest disservice is applying the "one-hit wonder" label to Devo. Jim and I went to Portland a few years ago for a fun run called "Run Hit Wonder." There were one-hit wonder bands along the route, which was very cool, and after both the 5K and 10K runs finished there was a post-race concert with Devo. They played for an hour and a half and I knew just about every song. Here's a short list of songs that you probably know that AREN'T "Whip It!"

Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!(I Can't Get No) SatisfactionGirl U WantFreedom of ChoiceBeautiful WorldThat's Good

July 06, 2009

In a recent post I listed the artists that I had seen most live in concert, with several tied at two times each. Well over the weekend Duran Duran moved into the lead when Jim and I went to see them at Marymoor Park Sunday night. They have a short summer tour schedule planned with just a few dates in the States starting here, which was quite exciting for Seattle fans.

The concert was everything I expected and one thing I absolutely didn't expect. Four of the five original members were there (Andy Taylor has decided to focus again on a solo career) sounding as strong as ever. Simon LeBon was in fine form, interacting with the audience and putting his all into every song. There was a nice mix of old and new songs, from "The Chauffeur" and "Hungry Like The Wolf" to "Sunrise" and tracks from their latest CD. (I must confess I don't hear their new music very often so I don't know the titles). The weather cooperated - not too hot and not too cool as the evening went on. Marymoor Park is not the best place to see and hear a concert but the crowd didn't mind, singing along with all the classics and responding to Simon's encouragement.

I've known subconsciously that there were going to be events that were going to trigger some emotions regarding the loss of our old dog Eli, I just didn't expect one of them to be a song at a Duran Duran concert. As Simon introduced "Ordinary World" a wave of emotions came over me, and I was crying before he even started singing.

"What is happening to me? Crazy, some would say,Where is my friend when I need you most? Gone away...

But I wont cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world,Somehow I have to find.And as I try to make my way, to the ordinary world...I will learn to survive..."

Cry I did throughout the song. I'm pretty sure it caught Jim off-guard, since I had been singing and dancing up to that point in the show.

As we made our way back to the car I was mentally comparing this concert to the show we'd seen a few years ago at the Everett Events Center, and decided that they were both strong in their own element. Trying to compare an indoor show in the middle of a tour to an outside show at the beginning of a tour just doesn't work. Both were a lot of fun, and if they come back again we'll probably be there, inside or out.

June 03, 2009

What was the first show/concert you went to?Journey with Bryan Adams opening

What was the last show/concert?Chris Young at the Snoqualmie Casino

List your top five favorite shows/concerts.

Harry Connick, Jr.Everything about this show was perfect. It was at Chateau Ste. Michelle and the weather was beautiful. Jim made a delicious picnic dinner, Harry was quite congenial, laughing and joking with the audience between songs. At one point he said that everyone's food smelled so good, he'd have a quick Q&A if people shared their dinners with him. I can't imagine another concert being better than this one.

Journey w/ Bryan AdamsI was really lucky to have such a fantastic experience for my first concert. Journey was just about at the top of their game in the early 80s, and Bryan Adams put on a great show in what must have been his first major tour in front of a stadium crowd.

Chris YoungI really had a hard time deciding if I wanted to try and drag Jim to the Snoqualmie Casino in the middle of the week to see a country act. I am so glad that I did. Chris put on an amazing one-man acoustic show, and the night was a wonderful mid-week getaway. Except for the smoke alarm. :)

Duran Duran, 2nd showI saw Duran Duran back in the 80s at the height of their popularity, but their second show a couple of years ago made more of an impression. The entire band was back together after various fractures, and they sounded wonderful. The crowd was really into it, singing along to all the old songs and having a great time.

Gary AllanGary's my current favorite country artist, so I was excited to hear that he would be in Boise last summer, and that my friend Michelle was available that weekend to go see him. This show was the first time I did something so bold as to try and make my way up close to the stage to take a picture. Coincidentally I took the picture while he was singing "Man of Me," a song that always reminds me of Jim, so I have that extra memory when I look at the picture.

What was the worst show/concert you ever saw?Boston, during their Third Stage tour. Boring, uninspiring, and they ended the show early because people kept jumping up on the stage.

What show/concert was way better than you thought it might be?I have to totally agree with Jim on this one. Weird Al Yankovic was amazing live. His band had been together for almost 20 years so they were perfectly in synch. Lots of costume changes, audience interaction and you could tell that they were having a great time together.

Runner-up would be Neil Diamond. I'm not sure what I was expecting back in the 80s, but he put on a high-energy show that had the whold place buzzing.

Who have you seen play live the most?Full concerts - Barry Manilow, Duran Duran and Dierks Bentley, two times each. Performing live would be Blaine Larsen, four times.

What show/concert do you most regret missing the most?Jim and I agree on this one too. We bought tickets to see Barenaked Ladies over Thanksgiving weekend a couple of years ago, and were both really looking forward to it. Unfortunately it started snowing that afternoon and never stopped. I called the arena, hoping against hope that they were going to reschedule the show, but they didn't. We just couldn't risk trying to get out there, and now they've pretty much split up.

Runner-up would be Phil Vassar. He came to a small venue right after I started listening to country music, but I decided not to try and get Jim to take me.

What's the most embarrassing show/concert you've been to?I saw Elton John when he was in the middle of his drug use days so it might have been somewhat embarrassing, but I really don't remember much about that show.

If you could travel back in time, what bands would you want to see and when?I just saw 'Biography' episodes on Cass Elliot and The Mamas and The Papas, and would have liked to see them during their heyday. Jim Croce would be interesting. To be a part of the Beatles phenomenon would be a great experience. Queen, definitely.

Before you die, (or they die) who would you most like to see live?I'm surprised that I don't have any "must see" artists. Hmm. I've become a fan of new-ish acts The Eli Young Band and Billy Currington, so they are certainly on the 'to-see' list. I suppose if Barenaked Ladies gets back together that would be at the top of the list.

May 14, 2009

The Eli Young Band is new to country radio, although according to their website they've been together since 2000. This CD marks their first appearances on country radio, and my introduction to their music. Got the CD for my birthday, so it's CD Review time!

1. When it RainsA song about Seattle! Just kidding. The first single (I believe) from this CD, and what made me want to hear more music from this band. Sometimes the weather totally matches your mood, and can even contribute to it. His girl has left him, he's miserable, and glad that the weather isn't bright and sunny because he doesn't even want to pretend to be happy.

2. Always the Love SongsThe second single from this CD which solidified my desire to get the CD. Probably my overall favorite song on the CD, although some of the other songs have bits and pieces I like better. I tend to be a sucker for the love songs, remembering them and connecting with them on a deeper level than other types of songs.

3. Radio WavesThe connection with his girlfriend is starting to fall apart, so he's reaching out the only way he knows how. He's broadcasting his feelings over the radio waves with the hope that she'll really hear how he feels and come back to him.

4. Enough is EnoughI'm starting to realize that there's often one great lyric on a CD that catches my attenion, and this CD is no exception. In this song about breaking off a bad relationship is this portion of the chorus:

"I can't lean on you 'cause I'd fall right overCan't count on you 'cause it doesn't add up."

Wonderful imagery and a little arithmetic for the math geek in me.

5. FamousWhat a great premise for a song. He wishes he were famous so she'd already know his name. Unfortuantely he isn't, so he's trying to figure out how to approach her and see if a relationship is possible.

6. Throw and GoSometimes you just need to throw some things in the car and head out of town. Maybe you're coming back, maybe not, but a change in scenery does a person good.

7. GuinevereI don't usually have to go to the Internets to understand the meaning of a song, but this song sent me to Wikipedia. (*checks*) Hmm...she was the wife of King Arthur and had an affair with Sir Lancelot. Doesn't help much. It's about a woman who is full of conflicts in her life - not sure what to keep and what to unload, wants to leave but is still there, wants to go to heaven but wants to make life on Earth better.

8. Get in the Car and DriveIn my opinion this song has the same meaning as Jessica Simpson's "Come On Over", it's just better. He's telling his girlfriend that if she ever wants to be with him, she should just get in the car and drive over - she doesn't need to call and ask permission, that just wastes valuable time.

9. Jet Black and JealousShe left him feeling devastated and frustrated, jet black and jealous, but he'll be waiting for her if she decides to come back.

10. Mystery in the MakingPondering the future, wondering what it holds, but also realizes that tomorrow is a mystery that he can't wait to unfold.

11. How Should I KnowThe relationship seems strong, but comfortably unsettling. He thinks that they're in love, but feels that somehow they're breaking each others' hearts and he's not sure how he would know one way or the other.

12. HomeThere's your childhood home, your home on the road, but when you're with the right person home can be anywhere you want it to be. Always a great line, "home is where you are."

I am enjoying this CD, although I found the review hard to write. I love the songs on the CD, but they are difficult to describe. A little more vague than I'm used to, but enjoyable nonetheless.

April 28, 2009

Several years ago Jim and I went with Eric to Northern California to see Eric's mom. She would soon be diagnosed with cancer and wasn't expected to live for very long. We had a wonderful time with her, and shared a lot of stories. Eric and I both liked to downhill ski but didn't get much opportunity, so we decided to spend one day at a local ski resort. The skiing was fun, and when the day was done we loaded our sore and tired bodies into his car for the ride back home. We were chatting and listening to the radio when "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" came on. He cranked the volume and we both sang along at the top of our lungs. Probably my favorite Eric memory.

4. Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

My third grade teacher was just about the coolest person I've ever known in my life. She was young (early- to mid-20's) and was a great teacher. She got the class excited about things, and had a lot of cool projects for us to do. One of those projects involved Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence."

Each person in the class was assigned a line from the song's lyrics, and we were supposed to draw a picture that represented that line. I still remember my line - "In the halo of a street lamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp." I've never been a great artist, but I worked hard on that picture. She then took photographs of each picture, turned them into slides, and then played the slide show set to the music for our parents. Whenever the line "Sound of Silence" came up in the song, she displayed a black screen.

And yes, I was chided for singing along to the song during the presentation.

3. Beach Boys - Be True To Your School

My high school football team may have been awful (0-for all three years) but our soccer team more than made up for it. During my junior year they went undefeated (if I remember correctly) for the entire season, and the goalie only allowed a couple of goals. Their success continued through the state playoffs to become that year's state champions. The school provided buses so that the student body could attend the championship game. On the way back to the school after the game someone had a stereo and played the Beach Boys "Be True To Your School" with all of the students singing along, celebrating a great victory and a fantastic season.

2. Barry Manilow - Copacabana

One summer weekend during high school my friend Michelle decided that she was going to take me camping. After getting me outfitted with a borrowed tent and sleeping bag, we made a loaf of banana bread to take with us. Weight be damned!

She took me near Snoqualmie Pass (I think) and we headed off up the trail. It was a beautiful day, and everything was going great. We got to a small body of water that we had to walk around, so I followed her along the narrow trail. There was one part that looked solid, covered with pine needles, so I started to walk across it. Big mistake. Luckily the water wasn't TOO deep, so I only got wet up to the very bottom edge of my sleeping bag that was on my back. Michelle laughed at me good-naturedly as she helped me out of the water.

Just as I was about to collapse we arrived at the lake where we would be camping. We went down a trail alongside the lake to a small clearing and started to set up camp. I dropped my backpack and then my body before starting to help pitch the tent and get organized. Before we could get our sleeping bags unrolled she said that we needed to pick everything back up and move. What? She said that she noticed that the "best" spot was open, which wasn't usually the case. We grabbed our things, walked back up the trail PAST where we came in to a spot on a small hill on the other side of the lake.

Once again we dropped our gear, pitched the tent, set out our stuff and enjoyed the afternoon. As night fell we built a campfire to cook our dinner and have banana bread for dessert. A couple of non-threatening looking guys wandered into our camp and started chatting with us. There was a lot of flirting and sharing of banana bread. We sent them on their way as we settled in for the night.

The next morning we packed up our gear and headed back down the trail to the car. As we got closer we noticed a piece of paper under one of the windshield wiper blades. The two guys from the night before had determined which car was mine and had left their names and phone numbers. We never called, but we were flattered nonetheless.

On the drive home we were listening to the radio when "Copacabana" came on. We're both Barry Manilow fans, so we were singing along quite dramatically. This is not my favorite Barry song, but it always reminds me of that weekend.

1. Journey - Open Arms

Back when I was a sophomore in high school, I was dating a guy named Lothar who went to a different high school in my district. We'd met at a training class for soccer officials, and after some clumsy flirting, we hit it off.

Lothar was one of the sweetest guys I'd ever met, so it was a surprise to me that he was something of a trouble-maker at school and was always in trouble with his parents. He was also the mascot at his school, which gives you an idea of his personality.

We'd been together for a few months when our school held its "Grub Tolo" (aka Sadie Hawkins Dance). Of course I asked him to be my date, and he accepted. When your date at a dance is from another school, he gets treated like a specimen to be examined by everyone, especially other girls. He was a hit with my female classmates – they all wanted to dance with him. I didn't mind too much – they were dancing to fast songs and I was having a good time dancing with my other male friends.

When one of the fast songs ended and a slow one started, he turned from his dance partner and made a beeline for me. The song? "Open Arms" by Journey. He pulled me close and we danced like high school kids do – slowly, and barely moving. I was in heaven.

That might have been the end of the story, but it wasn't. We were still together by the time that Valentine's Day rolled around, and he had a plan to surprise me that day. His school was having a fundraiser where you could pay a certain amount of money to send a singing telegram to a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend. Even though we went to different schools, he managed to get some guys from their choir to drive to my high school and track me down.

I was in the middle of Biology when these three guys that I'd never seen before came into our classroom. They announced that they had a singing telegram for me. I turned beet red as they sang their song – I have absolutely no clue what song they sang. Then they handed me a HUGE Valentine's Day card. The front of the card said, "People say we make a cute pair…", and on the inside the punch line was, "…what I want to know is, a cute pair of what?" Like I said, he had an interesting personality.

On the blank side of the card, Lothar had written all of the lyrics to "Open Arms", pretty much officially making it "our song."

Unfortunately, like most high school romances, we broke up soon after. He said it was pressure from his parents, I said we'd hit a strange spot that I didn't feel we could get past, and the relationship ended without much more than a whimper.

For a while after the break-up, if I heard "Open Arms" it would stop me dead in my tracks. It was if I was trying to hold on to something that was no longer there. Eventually that faded over time, so now when I hear it I just remember the good times.

I'd heard through the grapevine that Lothar had gotten into some serious trouble with the law down in California. I just pray that he's made it through okay, and that maybe he thinks of me when he hears the song.

April 27, 2009

Another guys' weekend, another top 10 CD challenge. This year the challenge was to make a CD containing your top 10 <fill in the blank>. You get to decide what to count down. I considered several topics before finally settling on one. Here are my top 10 "my story songs". These songs all have a story behind them or remind me of a specific moment in my life.

10. B-52's - Rock Lobster

Back in high school our school held a district-wide dance, which meant that students from the other two schools in the district were invited. Everything was going great, other than the normal rivalry talk, when the DJ pulled out "Rock Lobster." Just about everyone was on the floor dancing, until the song got to the part where Fred Schneider starts singing, "Down, down, down..." All the students from my high school obliged, crouching lower and lower, eventually ending up on our backs flailing about while the kids from the other schools just stopped and stared. Obviously they didn't follow this tradition at their schools. Their loss.

9. Kenny Chesney - Summertime

One of the first concerts that my brother went to was Bon Jovi, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Part of the concert was filmed and later used in a video for the band. Every time that song came on MTV my brother would point at the screen to a section of the audience and yell, "There I am! There I am!"

A couple of years ago my best friend Michelle came over from Idaho to attend a Kenny Chesney concert at Qwest field. Kenny opened with "Summertime," and although we didn't realize it at the time, the concert was filmed and became part of his video for "Summertime." Now when I see that video I can point at the screen to a section of the audience and yell, "There I am! There I am!"

The other thing that happened was that a photograph of Kenny's Seattle show ended up in People magazine's "Year in Pictures" edition, so not only am I in a music video, I'm in People magazine.

8. A Chorus Line - One

The first Broadway show I ever went to see was "A Chorus Line" with my mom, and I loved it. I loved the story, the acting and singing, and I especially loved the final number, "One." I was singing that song to myself for months after seeing the show. I still do sing it every once in a while.

7. XTC - Senses Working Overtime

One of the first "elective" courses I took in college was Greek and Latin Roots, perfect for a budding etymologist. It was a 2-credit, pass/fail course taught by a TA, but I actually learned quite a bit from it. The TA liked to include extra credit sections on the tests that had nothing to do with the topic of the course. On the first test he gave us, the extra credit section included song lyrics, and you had to come up with the band and title of the song. If I remember correctly I got most of them right, but the one that sticks in my head was:

"And all the world is football-shapedIt's just for me to kick in spaceAnd I can see, hear, smell, touch, tasteAnd I've got one, two, three, four, five..."

6. Air Supply - Even The Nights Are Better

When I was about 17 years old I was invited to try out for a local select soccer team, which would be a far cry from the rec team I had played on since I was eight. Anyway, I got myself ready to go, but I had some time to kill before I need to leave, so I was hanging out in my room. My mom popped her head in and asked me if I was going to do anything to get myself mentally prepared for the tryouts. What she found was me lying on my bed with a small tape player resting on my chest, playing one of my favorite albums by Air Supply. I know they're a little bit cheesy, but the tempo of the songs was just what I needed to relax and center myself before leaving for the tryouts. This is one of the songs that I played and remember most.

(I didn't make the team. Unfortunately I was a goalie at the time, and they already had a longstanding goalie in place. It's a little like trying out for quarterback, as it's such a specialized position)

April 02, 2009

Chris Young is a country artist who won the third (corr. fourth) season of Nashville Star, the country version of American Idol, and he is far and away my favorite of any of the other contestants. When I saw on my local radio station's website that he was going to be in concert close by I got pretty excited. The show was on a Tuesday night, in a city about 45 miles away, so I wasn't sure how it was going to work, but Jim and I got a room in a nearby lodge, we both took the next day off from work, and made it into an event.

We headed east on Tuesday afternoon to check into the Salish Lodge, located at the top of Snoqualmie Falls. The room was quite nice, and included a working fireplace and a jacuzzi tub. We'd have to check that out later. I took a quick nap, since I'd had a late soccer game the night before, and then headed off to the Snoqualmie Casino where the concert was to be held.

The concert was going to be in the casino's "Sno Lounge", a very small and intimate room. We decided later that it held less than 100 people. As we walked by looking for some place to have something to eat we saw Chris going through a sound check. It appeared that it was just going to be him and a guitar - no backup band. Sweet.

Once we got some food we headed back to find a seat. Part of it was reserved seating and the rest was GA, so we found a comfortable spot with a great view of the stage. Well, it seemed comfortable - unfortunately it didn't work out very well for Jim's back, but he was able to stand on the other side of the couch next to me, so that worked out a little bit better. (Luckily it was only a 90 minute show)

Chris came out a little after 8:00 and put on a great show. He played songs from his first CD and some from his upcoming CD, as well as songs by other artists he admired growing up. He also played "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites, a request from the audience. He had one pretty big mix-up playing his song "Flowers" though, which was both funny and awkward. It's a sad song that shows the dangers of drinking and driving. Unfortunately he sang the first part of the first verse, then sang the last part of the second verse, which took him right into the chorus, essentially skipping an entire verse. He kept apologizing, saying that he'd never done that before, but the crowd was more than understanding.

His singing, story-telling and interactions with the crowd made for a very enjoyable show. Jim was even impressed, and since he really only likes classic country, that's a huge compliment.

The best part was after the show. We didn't realize it at the time, but we had situated ourselves right next to the table where he'd be selling T-shirts and CDs and taking pictures after the concert was over, so we were first in line. He showed up carrying a duffel bag and putting things out on the table. I kidded with him a little bit about needing to have someone to handle this for him. He smiled and joked back with me, which was nice. I already have a copy of his CD (as do all of my friends who like country music), and I don't really do artist T-shirts, but I wanted to buy something. Then I saw that he had a beer cozy that promotes his new single, "Gettin' You Home", so he found a silver sharpie and signed one for me. Jim took a picture of the two of us, and then we were on our way back to the lodge.

Once back in the room Jim decided he wanted to light a fire. Unfortunately even with the damper open enough smoke blew into the room to set off the smoke detector. Oops. The front desk called to make sure we were okay, and even sent someone from engineering with a fan to help clear out the room. Luckily it cleared up on its own so we had a nice fire to enjoy. Next we decided that we couldn't let a good jacuzzi tub go to waste, so we filled it with warm water and enjoyed the calm.

The next morning we had made reservations for breakfast in the lodge's restaurant, which was supposed to be really great food. I was actually quite disappointed by my breakfast - the omelet and breakfast potatoes were both bland and very oily. Even their special hot chocolate made at the table was only good, not great.

All in all, a great time, a mini-weekend in the middle of the week. Today feels like a Monday, but tomorrow's Friday, so it's all good.